Section insulator



Apr. 10, 1923 N.' A. WAHLBERG SECTION INSULA'IOR Filed June 5, 1921 5and State of-Pennsylvania,

30 main conductor and tive.

Patented Apr. 10, 1923.

UITED 5 'l' Meer orma HOUSE ELECTRIC &; MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A.CORPORATION 0F PENNSYL-A VANIA.

.Application filed June 3,

To all w hom t may con-cem Be it known t-hat I, Ni'Ls A. VAHLBERG,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in thecounty of-Allegheny have invented a new and useful Improvement inSection' Insulators, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to trolley-conductor section insulators or switchesand particula-rly section vinsulators for use in mines where branchconductors extend from a main-passage conductor into side passages .orheadings. l

`One object of my invention is to provide a device of the aboveindicated character that shall be simple and durable in construction,economical to manufacture and effec- A tive in operation.V

I Another object of my invention is to provide means for effectivelyreducing or quenching arcs that may form` between the adjacent ends ofspaced sections or members. y Trolley-conductor devices', of the aboveindicated character, have usually been provided with spaced trolley-conductor sections, or trolley-runner members to electrically insulate'branch-conductors from a a switch to shunt the grap between thesections..

Normally, any arcingcaused by passing trolleys,A on a device roi'thislind causes damage4 to the apparatus. Further`I when it is desired toelectrically*disconnect a section, by opening the switch on the sectioninsulator, an arc may be established in the air gap between the sectionsto energize the dead section, by the inadvertent passing ,of alocomotive trolley over the gap.4 This unintentional and the deadsection may cause serious injury to operators or apparatus, or even lossof life. It is. therefore, obviousthatv the elimination ory effectivereduction of arcs olf: this character are much to be desired, ifnot.impera- Section insulators usually comprise insulating body or othermembers disposed above the arc gap which interfere with the naturaltendency of the arcs to rise and, therefore, prevent .the arcs beingquickly dissipated upwardly.

Attempts have been made to reduce the arcing at section insulators bythe use of blowout coils but such construction is comtrolley-conductor ArlFig. 2 Yis "a bottom 'plan `View of unexpected energization Aof lsnotrronA iNsULaToR.

19214.A {sei-iai No. 474,717.

plicated andeXpensive as compared with the ordinary section insulator. y

In practicing my invention, I so provide an arc'chute 'above-the arc gapor gapsand, also, so provide simple magnetizable plates adjacentkto thechute that the insulator substantially reduces or magnetically blows outits arcs, without the use-of coils.

In combination with the above features,

my insulator' comprises two series-related air` gaps which not only`provide anL intermediate dead section, as an addltionalksafeguard, butserve to lreduce. the arcs/by they well `known principle of series-arcresistance. v f 'l a further arc-reducingmeasure,'the adjacent ends ofthe trolley-runner' sections are formed diagonally land are soyoverlapped as to'permit a passing trolley to engage both 'endssimultaneously;

- Figure 1 of the accompanyingdrajwing is Y' a sideelevational viewcf asection insulator embodying my invention. f the device shown in Fig; l,and

Fig-3 is I cross-sectional view of the del .l il?? vice,y taken alongthe line `II'Iv--III' of Fig. l, indicating', by dottedlines, themagneticblow-out flux field.

In general, my device comprises a pair `of elongated insulating sideyplatesv'l, of

Woodv or 'other suitable material, insulating end bloclsQ, of similarmaterial and secured tothe side plates by bolts 3, end members 4havingportions 5 for the reception ofthe adjacent yends of trolleyconductor? sections 6 and trolley-runner portions 7 extending towardsthe center of the insulator, van intermediate trolley-runner member 8secured to the side plates l by screws), switch lO'and 4relatively thinmagnetizable side plates 11 conforming Aand secured to' the outersurfaces of the side plates l bythe bolts 3.

l The switch 10 comprises a handle member 10a, "a stationary two 'sets'and l5."` A

The members y13 and 15 are securedfto the end blocks 2 by bolts 16th-atextend through the"blocks"`f` into the trolley-runner sections 7,and the stationary jaw` member 14? issecured to the intermediatetrolley-runner pivoted vknifeblade member '12, a pivot terminalmember13, and of 'stationary members '14 member 8 by a screw 17. Screws 18also extend through the end blocks 2 into the trolley runner section 7to `assistthe bolts 16 in holding the terminal members 4 in position onthe end blocks 2.

is to rise, the

The inner opposing blocks' 2 are upwardly and outwardly inclined toconstitute the end boundaries of an arc chute 2O and are covered byplates Z2 of asbestos or other which are fastened to the faces 19 bymeans of screws 21. f

As' shown in Fig. `3, when an arc tends to persista-between the adjacentoverlappingdiagonal ends uX is set up. The of the presence of the f1-1will be distorted, shown in the dotted lines, natural tendency of an arclatter will be projected int-o the magnetic-fini; field abovey the arcgap and impelled upwardly, through the arc chuteQO, dissipate the arcand to,

flux field, by reason inagnetizable yplates substantially as and, sincethe thereby, materially l reduce the dangers arising therefrom.

u turn, interlink with for controlling an arc The magnetizablesideplates 11, not only serve` the useful kfunction of affecting the arcin the above describedn'ianner, butsince they interlink with the bolts 3which, in the end blocks 2 andthe reinforcing -means for plates 1. n n

While I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention,changes may bewefi'ected therein without departing` from the spirit andscope thereof. as set forth in vthe appended claims.4

` l claim as my invention: 1. r1 section insulator co-n'iprising spacedendtoend related trolley-contact sections, an insulating member formechanically vconnecting said sections, and a magnetizable reinforcingmember secured to said member between the sections. 2. Atrolleyconductor device comprising a the insulating side plurality ofspaced trolley-contact sections,

a plurality of insulated magnetizable inem bersin side-by-side relationfor upwardly directing arcs caused by trolleys passing between vsaidsections.

3. A trolley-conductor device comprising means independent of theconductor circuit and responsive to current therein -for affect-y inglarcs caused by passing trolleys.

f 4. A trolley-'conductor device coinprisin means v. magnetizablyrelated to the conductor only for suppressing arcs caused bypassin??trolleys.

o.. A. trolley-conductor device comprising trolley-conductor membersspaced apart to provide anarc gap and av magnetizable meinfaces 19 ofthe end suitable material 23 of the trolley runner sectionsy 'f7 land 8,a magnetic This action will tend to quickly ber disposed in spacedrelation to said memflux field thereof for suppressing arcstherebetween.

6. A. trolley-conductor device comprising spaced trolley-contact membersand an arc chute for substantially enclosing adjacent portions of saidContact members for upwardly directing arcs therefrom.

7. A trolley-coiiductor device comprising spaced end-to-end relatedtrolleycontact members. an arc chute for receiving arcs therefrom and ainagnetizable member disposed -adjacent to the chute for influencing thearcs.

8. A trolley-conductor device comprising v' a plurality of spacedtrolley-contact niembers arranged to provide a plurality of arc gaps anda. single arc chute for said gaps.

9. i section insulator comprising an elongated insulating structurehaving an intermediate opening constituting an arc chute, means forprotecting` walls of the chute against damage by arcs and metalstructures adapted. to receive conductors of adjacent trolley-conductorsections and related to provide an arc gap adjacent to the chute.

1G. A section insulator comprising an elongated insulating structurehaving an intermediate opening constituting an Y arc chute, means forprotecting walls of the chute against damage by arcs. metal structuresadapted to receive conductors of adiacent trolley-coiiiiictor sectionsand related j an arc gap adj aceiit to the chute lof elongatedinsulating side plates, spaced insulatingbloclrs disposed therebetweenadjacent to the ends thereof to provide an intei'niediate arc chute,terminal members se-` cured to the blocks for attachment to the ends ofadjacent trolley-conductor sections and having inwardly-projectingtrolley-contact portions.l an intermediate member socured to the sideplates in the arc chute and having a trolley-contact portion disposed inspaced eiid-to-end relation with respect to said firsttrolley-contactportions to provide a pair of arc gaps and a pair of elongatedniagnetizable plates mounted on the outer side surfaces of saidinsulating plates.

12.,A trolley-conductor device comprising an arc chute having aninsulated magnetiz able side member adjacent an arc gap,

ln .testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my naine this 29th dayof April i921. NILS A.` WAHLBERG.

A n-I

